By Godfred A. Polkuu
Chuchuliga (U/E), Oct. 30, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region, has called on Ghanaians to reject all forms of divisiveness that pose threat to Ghana’s peace.
Mr Jeffrey Adda, the Municipal Director, NCCE, made the call when he addressed members of the Living Hope Assemblies of God (AG) Church at Chuchuliga, a community in the Municipality.
He emphasised the need for continues religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence among practitioners of the various religions in Ghana, especially as the country prepared for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
“We are in an election year, and there is the tendency for people with self-seeking interest to exploit religion, and ethnicity to foment divisions to promote narrow, parochial, and political agenda,” he said.
Mr Adda noted that religious intolerance was a breeding ground for unresolved, protracted conflicts in some neighbouring African countries, and Ghana must not avail itself for such acts, as religious, and tribal induced conflicts came at a high cost.
The NCCE rolled out a comprehensive public education programme in the Municipality on religious tolerance with special focus on the youth as the country prepared for the December 7 elections.
The education programme was done with executives of the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) which was recently inaugurated to help tidy unnecessary suspicion and anxiety among political parties.
It was also to help undertake peace-building consultative meetings with stakeholders to avert violent extremism and promote peaceful co-existence and national cohesion.
Apart from the Living Hope AG Church, officials of the Commission led by the Director, had over the weeks extended the education to the Church of Pentecost, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Good News Bible Church, the Anglican Church, the Sandema Central Mosque among other religious organizations across the Municipality.
Mr Adda was hopeful that the education programme would help prevent a situation where young vulnerable people would be swayed and divided along religious lines with tendencies to inflame comments and hate speeches from some politicians who focused on religion as the centre of the forthcoming elections.
“The Commission will take education on religious tolerance very serious in this election, and we will call out Politicians who choose to use religion as the basis for their campaign,” the Municipal Director said.
He indicated that the programme was part of efforts by the Commission to intensify activities towards ensuring peaceful elections.
Mr Adda reminded the congregation that religious tolerance and unity promoted religious freedom in Ghana, which made her the envy of the world, and urged the Church to continue to promote religious harmony and co-existence.
He acknowledged the support of the European Union (EU) to the Commission over the years, and that the current programme on Preventing and Containing Violence Extremism (PCVE) and radicalism was intended to guard against violent extremism before, during and after the general elections.
Reverend Julius Adawiensa, the Head Pastor of the Living Hope AG Church, implored Ghanaians not to pay attention to men of God in the country who prophesied political victories for the two main contenders in the 2024 elections.
According to him, such prophesies divided the country and urged Prophets to prophesy development that always empower the growth of the kingdom of God.
GNA